German luxury car manufacturer, Audi is taking a big lead when it comes to launching electric cars in the country. The company has added two fully electric four-door coupes – the e-tron GT and the Audi RS e-tron GT to its range of electric vehicles in India. These are the fourth and fifth electric cars from Audi in the country as just a few months ago the luxury giant had launched the E-tron 50 & 55 along with e-tron Sportback 55 in the market. In contrast both Mercedes-Benz and Jaguar Land Rover sell just one electric car each in India which are the EQC and iPace respectively.
LOOKS & DESIGN
According to Audi, the styling of both the cars embodies the forthcoming evolution in the brand’s design trajectory, marrying form and function. At the front, the Single frame hints at an all-electric drive train and the honeycomb-patterned radiator grille is available in light hekla gray or with the body colour as an option. Matrix LED headlights come as standard on the RS e-tron GT, while LED headlights are standard on the e-tron GT. The diffuser at the rear sits below the flat light strip that connects the taillights to each other while there’s also an active spoiler above which adds to both functionality and design. Both the cars come with 20-inch 5-spoke black, diamond-turned alloy wheels. In all e-tron GT and the RS e-tron GT are available in nine exterior colours and are fitted with a fixed panoramic glass roof as standard, which can be upgraded to a carbon roof.
INTERIORS
Inside the cabin, the instrument panel, which contains the Audi virtual cockpit, draws away from the driver to form an arc while there’s a sporty flat-bottomed steering wheel as well with its multifunction buttons. The centre control, holding the central MMI touch display on top, is biased towards the driver and is surrounded by a black piano bezel. Importantly, materials used in the interiors are also available in sustainable fabrics. The RS e-tron GT gets the 16-speaker, 710-watt Bang & Olufsen premium sound system as standard while both cars come deployed with the lane departure warning system and cruise control as standard. Comfort key with gesture based boot lid operation is also standard on both cars while a park assist plus package including 360 degree cameras are optionally available.
PERFORMANCE
The e-tron GT has a power of 390 kW and accelerates from 0 – 100 kmph in a quick 4.1 seconds, while the 475 kW RS e-tron GT achieves the same feat in even faster 3.3 seconds.
The adaptive air suspension helps in changing the characteristics of the cars to make them go from a relaxed GT to a sharp supercar. They also get tungsten carbide brake calipers for better stoppage performance, heat dissipation and reduced brake dust. The launch control function ensures a considerable boost in power while torque vectoring promises superior grip. And don’t fret if you think these are silent cars because an acoustic sound generator with sports sound is there to provide an emotional background. An all-wheel electromechanical steering helps steer the rear wheels in the same or the opposite direction of the front wheels depending on the speed. The e-tron GT exclusively uses an electronically controlled differential lock on the rear axle for variable distribution of the drive torque between the rear wheels.
CHARGING
The RS e-tron GT and e-tron GT feature 83.7/93.4kWh lithium-ion battery providing the range of 401 – 481 km for former and 388 – 500 km for the latter. Audi says that the cars come with best-in-class charging options – upto 22kW AC and up to 270kW DC. High power charging with 800 Volt technology with up to 270 kW charging power ensures that the cars are charged 5% to 80% in around 22 mins. They also get uniquely positioned charging flaps on both sides to enable flexibility in parking. Audi is also giving a complimentary wall box AC charger in addition to the 11kW charger that comes standard with the cars if they are bought in 2021. Key company dealerships will also be equipped with a 50kW fast charger in a phased manner. Overall, Audi will install 100 chargers across 75 key cities in the country.
PRICES
While the Audi e-tron GT has been priced at Rs. 1.79 crore (ex-showroom) the Audi RS e-tron GT will set you back by Rs. 2.04 crore. Depending on your where you live you might end up paying little or no registration fee as many states are coming out with favourable policies for electric vehicles. Standard warranty on these cars is two years and the battery is coming with a warranty of eight years or 1.60 lakh kms, whichever is earlier. Audi is also providing a complimentary five-year Roadside Assistance with the cars.